Bacon Potato Salad

I made this bacon potato salad last Tuesday and honestly it turned out better than I expected, which doesn’t always happen. The vinegar hits you first, then the bacon comes through, and the mustard just sits there doing its thing in the background.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The potatoes soak up all that vinegar while they’re still warm
• You don’t need mayo which means it actually tastes like something
• 4 strips of bacon crumbled through the whole pound gives you bacon in most bites without going overboard
• The shallots don’t make you cry like regular onions but they still give you that sharp bite
• Takes 30 minutes start to finish if you don’t mess around
• Red bell pepper adds this unexpected crunch that makes the texture less one-note

The Story Behind This Recipe

I got tired of mayo-heavy potato salad sitting in my fridge getting weird after a day. This easy potato salad happened because I had bacon left over from breakfast and some baby red potatoes that needed to get used.

The vinegar base made sense since I could make it ahead without worrying about it going bad. I threw in both kinds of mustard because I had them both open and figured why not. The sugar was a last-minute add because the vinegar was too harsh on its own and that tablespoon smoothed everything out. Now I make it whenever I need something that works warm or cold and doesn’t make me nervous about how long its been out.

What You Need

Start with 1 pound baby red potatoes because they hold their shape after boiling and you don’t have to peel them. Regular russets will fall apart on you and then you’ve got mush instead of actual potato salad.

You need 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt for the boiling water, not for the dressing. Makes the potatoes taste like something from the inside out instead of bland chunks you’re trying to fix later.

The dressing is 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup red wine vinegar. Don’t use balsamic or apple cider vinegar here because they’re too sweet and the whole point is that sharp bite. Then 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon coarse or whole grain mustard, and yeah you need both because the Dijon gives you smooth tang and the whole grain gives you texture and little pops of flavor.

4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled is what you’re working with. Not a whole package, just 4 strips so it doesn’t turn into bacon salad with some potatoes in it.

2 tablespoons minced shallot instead of onion because it’s milder but still has that bite. Then 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper for crunch and 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley because it tastes more like an herb than the curly kind. 1 tablespoon sugar goes in to cut the vinegar so it doesn’t make your face do that thing.

How to Make Bacon Potato Salad

Fill your Dutch oven or a big saucepan halfway with water and get it to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt to the water and then slide in the 1 pound baby red potatoes. The water should be really going when they hit it.

Boil them for 10 to 15 minutes and start checking with a fork around the 10 minute mark. You want them to pierce easy but not fall apart when you stab them. This is the part where you have to pay attention because 2 minutes makes the difference between good texture and potato mush that nobody wants to eat.

Drain them in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. This firms up the outside so they don’t turn to mashed potatoes when you toss them later.

Let them cool until you can handle them without burning your fingers but they should still be warmish. Cut each potato into halves or quarters, whatever gets you bite-sized pieces. The warm potato thing matters more than I thought it would because that’s when they soak up the dressing instead of just sitting there with wet vinegar on top.

Get a small bowl and whisk together the 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon coarse or whole grain mustard. It’ll look thin at first but keep whisking and it thickens up a little.

Stir in your 4 strips of cooked crumbled bacon, 2 tablespoons minced shallot, 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley and 1 tablespoon sugar. The sugar disappears into the vinegar but you’ll know it’s there because your mouth won’t pucker as hard.

Pour the whole dressing over the warm potatoes in a big bowl. Toss everything gently because if you’re too rough the potatoes break and then its chunky instead of having actual pieces. Make sure every potato gets coated and then just let it sit for a minute so the flavors get in there.

Serve it warm or let it come to room temperature. I noticed the bacon flavor comes through stronger when it’s not hot but the vinegar is sharper when it’s still warm, so pick what you’re in the mood for.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I let the potatoes cool all the way down before I added the dressing because I was doing other stuff in the kitchen. They didn’t absorb anything and the vinegar just pooled at the bottom of the bowl instead of getting into the potatoes. Had to toss everything way more than I should’ve and some of the potatoes broke apart anyway. Now I cut them while they’re still warm enough that I’m juggling them a little and pour the dressing right after. Makes it actually work the way this bacon potato salad recipe is supposed to instead of being potatoes with dressing sitting on top of them.

Bacon Potato Salad

By Emma

Prep:

10 min

Cook:

20 min

Total:

30 min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 1 pound baby red potatoes
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon coarse or whole grain mustard
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 tablespoons shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1. 1 Fill a large Dutch oven or saucepan halfway with water and bring to a rolling boil. Salt it generously with 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt and slide in 1 pound baby red potatoes. The water should roil and hiss as they cook. Boil them for 10 to 15 minutes, testing with a fork until you meet just the right tender give—potatoes should pierce easily but still hold shape. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking and firm up the flesh.
2. 2 Once the potatoes cool enough to handle but are still slightly warm, chop each into halves or quarters, keeping them bite-sized. The skins add texture and a hint of earthiness.
3. 3 In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon coarse or whole grain mustard until they form a tangy, slightly thick dressing. Stir in the cooked and crumbled 4 strips of bacon, 2 tablespoons minced shallot, 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, and 1 tablespoon sugar, balancing sharpness and sweet with savory bacon bits.
4. 4 Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes. Toss everything gently but thoroughly until every piece is coated, letting the potatoes soak up the flavors. Serve it warm or at room temperature to bring out the full boldness of the vinegar and mustard with the crispy bacon and fresh herbs.
5. 5 If you have tweaks or twists from past tries, note how different textures or timing affected the bite and bite-sized pieces.

Nutritional information

Calories

310

Protein

7g

Carbs

18g

Fat

24g

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Tips for the Best Bacon Potato Salad

Cook your bacon until it’s actually crispy and not that bendable stage. The grease needs to render out completely or you’ll have chewy bits that don’t add anything good to the texture.

When you’re whisking the dressing, go longer than you think you need to. The oil and vinegar want to separate and if you don’t get them friendly with each other first, you’ll pour separated liquid over your potatoes and wonder why half of them are dry.

Cut your shallots really small, like smaller than you’d normally mince them. Big chunks sit there being aggressive instead of blending into the background where they should be.

The potatoes will look too wet right after you toss them but give it 5 minutes and they drink up most of that liquid. I thought I’d ruined it the first time because the bowl looked like soup but then I came back from putting the bacon pan in the sink and everything had settled in.

Save a tiny bit of the bacon grease from cooking and add maybe half a teaspoon to the dressing if you want more bacon flavor without adding more actual bacon. Changes the whole thing without making it heavier.

Serving Ideas

Put it next to grilled chicken thighs or pork chops when you don’t want the usual mac and cheese or regular potato salad situation. The vinegar cuts through the fat better than mayo-based sides do.

Pack it for lunch with some rotisserie chicken and you’ve got something that tastes better cold from the fridge than it did fresh, which doesn’t happen with most things. Or bring it to a cookout where everything else is sweet and heavy and watch people come back for seconds because their mouth needed a break.

Throw a fried egg on top for breakfast. Sounds weird but the runny yolk mixes with the vinegar and you’ve got this whole other sauce thing happening that works.

Variations

Use turkey bacon if you’re trying to avoid pork but cook it longer than the package says because it never gets actually crispy when you follow their timing. The smoke flavor is lighter but the easy potato salad still works.

Swap the red bell pepper for diced celery and add a teaspoon of celery seed to the dressing. Makes it taste more like the potato salad your grandma would’ve made if she didn’t use mayo, and the celery gives you that same crunch.

Throw in a handful of arugula right before serving if you want some bitterness to balance all that vinegar. The greens wilt just a tiny bit from the warm potatoes but stay mostly crisp.

Skip the sugar if you like things really sharp and acidic. I can’t do it but my sister makes it this way and swears the bacon is sweet enough on it’s own, which I guess depends on what bacon you buy.

FAQ

Can I use regular red potatoes instead of baby ones? Yeah but cut them into similar-sized pieces before you boil them so they cook evenly. You’ll need to add a few minutes to the cooking time since they’re bigger chunks going in.

Do I have to use both kinds of mustard? You don’t have to but using just Dijon makes it too smooth and boring, and using just whole grain makes it kind of gritty. Together they do something neither one does alone.

Can I make this ahead? Make it up to a day before and keep it in the fridge. The flavors get stronger as it sits which is actually better, but add the parsley right before you serve it or it turns brown and looks sad.

Will regular bacon work if I don’t have thick cut? Regular bacon is actually what I used. Thick cut would probably be too much texture competing with the potatoes but I haven’t tried it to know for sure.

Can I use white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar? White wine vinegar is sharper and doesn’t have that deeper flavor, so the whole thing tastes thinner. Red wine vinegar has some body to it that holds up against the bacon.

How do I know when the potatoes are done boiling? Stick a fork in the biggest one and if it slides in without much pressure but the potato doesn’t fall apart when you lift it, you’re there. If it crumbles on the fork you went too far.

What if I don’t have shallots? Use half a small red onion minced really fine and soak it in cold water for 5 minutes before you add it. Takes some of the punch out so it doesn’t overpower everything.

Can I use apple cider vinegar? I wouldn’t because it’s too sweet and fruity for this. The red wine vinegar has a sharper bite that the sugar and bacon need to work against.

Do the potatoes have to be warm when I add the dressing? They should be warm enough that you can still feel heat coming off them. Cold potatoes have closed up and won’t absorb anything, and then you just have dressed potatoes instead of actual potato salad.

How long does this last in the fridge? Three days easy, maybe four if your fridge is cold enough. The vinegar base means it doesn’t go bad like mayo-based ones do but the parsley starts looking rough after day three.

Can I double this recipe? Double everything and use a really big bowl for tossing because you need room to move things around without smashing the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in two batches so they’re not crowded or they won’t cook evenly.

What if my dressing separates after I make it? Whisk it again right before you pour it over the potatoes. It’ll want to separate if it sits but one more quick whisk brings it back together enough.

Can I skip the sugar? You can but the vinegar will make your face pucker and you’ll wish you hadn’t. That tablespoon doesn’t make it sweet, it just makes it not painful.

Do I need to peel the potatoes? No and don’t because the skins hold the potatoes together when you toss them and they add texture. Baby red potato skins are thin enough that nobody notices them anyway.

Can I use dried parsley? Fresh parsley actually tastes like something and dried parsley tastes like dust, so I’d just skip it entirely if you don’t have fresh. Or use fresh dill instead which would be different but still good.

What size should I cut the potatoes? Halves if they’re really small, quarters if they’re on the bigger side of baby potatoes. You want pieces you can get on a fork with one stab.

Can I add hard boiled eggs? Sure but chop them and fold them in gently at the end or they’ll turn into mush. Changes the whole texture though so it’s not really the same bacon potato salad recipe anymore.

Will this work with sweet potatoes? Sweet potatoes are too soft and sweet for this, they’d fall apart when you toss them and the sweetness would fight with the vinegar in a bad way.

Do I have to rinse the potatoes after draining? The cold water rinse stops them from cooking more and firms up the outside so they don’t fall apart. Skip it and you risk mush.

Can I use olive oil from a jar of sun dried tomatoes? That oil has other flavors in it that would be weird here. Just use regular extra virgin olive oil that doesn’t taste like anything except olives.

What if I don’t have a Dutch oven? Any big pot works as long as the potatoes have room to move around while they boil. Crowded potatoes cook unevenly and some will be mush while others are still hard.